Hasselbeck sharper than Locker in 2-minute drill

In the ongoing battle for the Titans starting quarterback job, Matt Hasselbeck definitely had the better day on Tuesday. He finished 17-of-22 passing with one interception, while Jake Locker went 8-for-20 with no interceptions.

Hasselbeck looked especially sharp during the 2-minute drill. He went 7-for-9, deftly leading the first-team down the field and into the end zone. He utilized a number of different receivers and finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Nate Washington.

Locker, who was working with the second-team offense, struggled during his 2-minute drill. He went 3-for-10, twice missing rookie tight end Taylor Thompson. The drive stalled out a couple of times as well.

“There were a lot of blitzes there and we had some trouble with some protection,” coach Mike Munchak said of Locker’s 2-minute drill. “It’s a combination of things. Like we always say, we have to evaluate by what’s around him, whether he was wrong or if the protection was wrong or the receivers. There were a lot of issues there. That’s the thing we have to be aware of.

“But yeah, we were sloppy in that period. The whole group was. So yeah, that was the defense and (defensive coordinator Jerry Gray) being aggressive and making plays.”

Munchak said being able to bounce back from rough patches is a quality the coaches want to see in whichever quarterback wins the starting battle.

“You see how the guys recover from not having a good period and then going out the next period,” Munchak said. “When Matt has a bad one, how does he handle the next period and put it behind him and move forward? There’s a lot going on. You just tell him not to press. Just make plays one play at a time. Don’t get caught up in what’s going on the next couple of days.”

Munchak said he’s happy to see Gray throw some blitzes at both quarterbacks, since they tend to see fairly routine defenses in preseason games.

“It’s good because these guys are being tested out here,” Munchak said.